Your School Counselor

     "Someone You Can Count On"

Dolores Charest
 Guidance Counselor

HILLSIDE COUNSELING SERVICES

  The counseling program at Hillside Elementary is designed to meet the wide range of emotional, social, and academic needs of all of our students. Services include, but are not limited to: individual and group counseling, classroom guidance lessons, consultation with parents and teachers, and parent workshops.

 

Counselors are People. . .

Who really care

Who listen

Who don't judge or find fault

Who see the whole child

Who believe feelings matter

Who are well attuned to the child's developmental level

Who respect differences

Who cherish diversity

Who believe in confidentially

 

Who is your guidance counselor?

Mrs Dolores Charest is a 1999 graduate of the College of Lifelong Learning at UNH.  She acquired Alternative IV eligibility from the NH Credentialing Bureau and she is currently enrolled at Plymouth State College in the counseling program.

 

What the counselor does....
 

Counseling                                    

Individual students have an opportunity to explore issues of concern in a positive setting.  Small groups are available to discuss common concerns.  

 

Classroom Guidance 

Classroom guidance is a part of the school curriculum.  It includes lessons targeting educational, personal and social development.

 

The beginning of the school year is a new experience for the fourth grade students at Hillside Elementary. Students join HES from Brown, Bartlett and even St. Michael’s school. This time of year is when friendships are made. During classroom guidance we discussed being a good friend, sportsmanship, giving/receiving compliments (Sparkle Books) and personal safety.

              

Consulting

Counselors consult with teachers, parents, and other school specialists

 to enhance the total development of children, and to provide the most

 appropriate educational services for students.

 

PEER MEDIATION

 

The goal of peer mediation is to train students to assist other students in solving interpersonal problems. I am joined as co-coordinator by Ms. Brannen. As coordinators, we are responsible for: selecting students to be mediators, provide training to all new and returning mediators, and supervising mediations as they are performed throughout the school year. 

We were fortunate again this year to be working closely with Jane Vaillancourt of the North Country Education Foundation (N.C.E.F.) Mrs. Valliancourt  provided ongoing training and guidance as we strive to improve our mediation program.

 

 

 

Good  Deed  Program

 

The goal of the Good Deed Program is to emphasize positive behavior by highlighting behavior that goes above and beyond normal expectations.  Students who are "caught" doing a Good Deed have their picture taken and posted on the good deeds bulletin board.

 

    

Let me introduce staff member Tanya Bigl who is the Student Assistance Program (SAP) counselor for Hillside Elementary and the Berlin Jr High.  Her salary is primarily funded by the Androscoggin Valley Mental Health Center (AVMHC).  She works closely with your School Counselor, Dolores Charest, to help students develop healthy coping skills, make positive choices, and avoid substance abuse problems.  Tanya is working on her third year at Hillside and Berlin Jr. High.  She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Sociology/Psychology from Plymouth State University.  Prior to her employment at AVMHC, Tanya was a Youth and Family counselor at Sweetser in the West Staff Intensive Program in Saco, ME.  The West Staff Intensive Program was a program set up for behaviorally challenged, high-risk adolescent women.  Tanya is very excited to be able to provide services to the students of Hillside.

What can YOU do? 
Developing a strong counseling program

  One of the key elements to a successful school counseling program is parent involvement. Parents are the people who know their child the best and can tell when something is going wrong in their child’s life. Parents may notice a change in their child’s attitude and behavior at home, a change in their grades, or may simply sense that something isn’t right.

 

 If you have questions and concerns about the academic, social, or emotional well-being of your child, please contact me at school. We will work together to find a solution to your particular child’s situation. If you would like more information regarding the school counseling program and services that I provide, please call 752-5328.